CONTENTS LIST OF MAPS 1 THE BEST OF EASTERN EUROPE 1 1 The Most Unforgettable Travel Experiences.................2 2 The Best Hotel Splurges...........2 3 The Best Hotel Bargains............4 4 The Best Festivals & Celebrations.... 6 5 The Best Outdoor Activities........7 vii 6 The Best Local Dining Experiences........................9 7 The Best Museums................10 8 The Best Towns & Villages.........11 9 The Best Local Beer & Wine........12 2 INTRODUCING EASTERN EUROPE 14 1 The Region Today.................14 3 PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO 3 PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO EASTERN EUROPE 24 1 Visitor Information................24 2 Entry Requirements...............24 Getting Your Passport in Order...... 25 3 When to Go.......................27 Holidays, Celebrations & Events..... 28 4 Getting There & Getting Around Eastern Europe....................30 5 Money & Costs....................31 6 Health............................33 7 Safety.............................34 8 Specialized Travel Resources......35 9 Sustainable Tourism...............37 Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource..................... 38 10 Packages for the Independent Traveler...........................38 11 Escorted General-Interest Tours...39 Discovery on Foot................... 39 12 Special-Interest Trips..............40 13 Staying Connected................40 14 Tips on Accommodations.........42 15 Tips on Dining....................44 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
iv 4 BULGARIA 45 CONTENTS EASTERN EUROPE 1 Getting to Know Bulgaria.........47 2 Planning Your Trip to Bulgaria.....52 Fast Facts: Bulgaria................. 58 3 Sofia..............................60 Fast Facts: Sofia....................63 A Great Day Trip: The Village of Koprivshtitsa....................71 Walking Tour: Cathedrals to Markets.........................72 4 The Rila, Pirin & Rhodope Mountains........................77 1 Getting to Know Croatia........ 118 Suggested Itinerary: The Dubrovnik Area in 10 days.................. 121 2 Planning Your Trip to Croatia.... 126 Fast Facts: Croatia............... 131 3 Dubrovnik...................... 132 Fast Facts: Dubrovnik............. 135 Who Is St. Blaise?................. 144 Walking Tour: Dubrovnik s Stradun......................... 146 4 Excursions from Dubrovnik...... 150 5 The Rest of Southern Dalmatia........................ 151 6 Split............................. 154 Scary Monsters: Freddy, Eat Your Heart Out.................. 78 Drinking Wine with Six Fingers Manolev...........................83 5 Plovdiv & the Valley of the Kings...91 6 Veliko Tarnovo & Environs.........98 7 Varna & the Black Sea Coast..... 107 The Art of Travel.................. 111 8 The Danubian Plain............. 113 5 CROATIA 118 Korčula & Brač................... 156 Diocletian s Palace............... 161 Zipping Through Zadar.......... 162 7 Istria & the Kvarner Gulf Region..................... 163 Church of St. Fosca (Sveti Foška)... 166 Grisia Street Standouts........... 170 Rijeka s MorčićI................... 182 The Kvarner Islands.............. 185 8 Zagreb.......................... 186 Using Croatian Telephones....... 188 Fast Facts: Zagreb................ 189 Let There Be Light................ 200 9 Plitvice Lakes National Park...... 201 6 THE CZECH REPUBLIC 204 1 Getting to Know the Czech Republic........................ 204 2 Planning Your Trip to the Czech Republic........................ 209 Fast Facts: The Czech Republic.... 215 3 Prague.......................... 217 Fast Facts: Prague................ 221 Inexpensive Meals on the Run..... 234 Walking Tour: Old Town (Staré Město).......................245 A Romantic Getaway............. 249 Není Pivo Jako Pivo: There s No Beer Like Beer................. 256
4 Bohemia........................ 258 Spa Cures & Treatments.......... 260 A Renaissance Pub Endures....... 265 Keeping Up with the Schwarzenbergs: Visiting a 141-Room English Castle....... 266 Plzeň s Claim to Fame............ 267 5 Moravia......................... 268 v 7 HUNGARY 272 1 Getting to Know Hungary....... 273 2 Planning Your Trip to Hungary... 281 Fast Facts: Budapest.............. 286 3 Budapest....................... 288 Statues, Which Statues?.......... 316 Gellért Hill (Gellért Hegy).......... 318 Thermal Bathing 101............. 322 Walking Tour: The Castle District.. 324 Contemporary Hungarian Art Lights the Spark.............. 331 Budapest s Youthful Designers.... 334 The Millennium City Center....... 341 4 The Danube Bend............... 349 5 The Lake Balaton Region........ 356 Herend: Home of Hungary s Finest Porcelain.................... 358 An Excursion to the Thermal Lake in Hévíz....................... 363 6 Northeastern Hungary.......... 365 7 Southern Hungary.............. 369 EASTERN EUROPE 8 POLAND 378 1 Getting to Know Poland........ 378 2 Planning Your Trip to Poland.... 385 Fast Facts: Poland................ 389 3 Warsaw......................... 390 4 Łódź............................ 406 5 Olsztyn & the Mazurian Lakes... 412 Hitler s Wolf s Lair............... 414 Oh, Give Me a Home, Where the Bison Still Roam.............. 416 6 Kraków.......................... 417 7 The Rest of Malopolska.......... 437 8 Silesia........................... 443 9 Gdańsk & the Baltic Sea Coast... 449 Sopot.............................. 458 Słowiński National Park.......... 459 CONTENTS 9 ROMANIA 471 1 Getting to Know Romania....... 472 Suggested Itinerary: Romania in 10 to 12 Days................. 472 Roma: Dancing to Their Own Tune....................... 478 Fast Facts: Romania............. 480 2 Planning Your Trip to Romania..................... 482 3 Bucharest....................... 489 Fast Facts: Bucharest............. 492 Hey, Big Spender! Staying in Bucharest s Glitziest Digs....... 496 Room With a View............... 499 Understanding the Orthodox Church.......................... 507 4 Wallachia....................... 514 5 Transylvania..................... 519 Vlad & the Epic Mythology of Count Dracula................ 520
vi Hobnobbing with Royalty: Romania s Finest Village Stay..... 522 Bird s-eye Views.................. 526 Will the Real Dracula s Castle Please Stand Up?................ 527 The Saxon Churches of Transylvania.................. 531 6 Crişana & the Banat............. 539 Adventures in the Apuseni Mountains...................... 541 Touring the Revolution........... 545 7 Maramureş...................... 547 The Wooden Churches of Maramureş: A Field Guide........ 552 8 Moldavia & the Painted Churches of Bucovina........... 556 A Night in the House of Stags..... 558 9 Northern Dobrogea: Romania s Black Sea Coast & the Danube Delta................... 562 CONTENTS EASTERN EUROPE 10 MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 566 1 Getting to Know Moscow & St. Petersburg................... 566 2 Planning Your trip to Moscow & St. Petersburg................... 571 3 Moscow........................ 577 Fast Facts: Moscow............... 579 1 Getting to Know Slovakia....... 607 2 Planning Your Trip to Slovakia... 612 Fast Facts: Slovakia.................616 3 Bratislava........................ 617 4 Western Slovakia & the Malá Fatra.................. 626 Malá Fatra National Park......... 630 Banya Bliss...................... 585 Walking Tour: Historic Moscow... 588 4 St. Petersburg................... 592 Fast Facts: St. Petersburg.......... 594 Walking Tour: St. Petersburg Highlights....................... 602 11 SLOVAKIA 607 5 The High Tatras & Eastern Slovakia......................... 630 A Good Walk.................... 637 Rafting on the Dunajec........... 638 Spišský Hrad..................... 641 The Warhol Family Museum of Modern Art................... 646 12 SLOVENIA 647 1 Getting to Know Slovenia....... 647 2 Planning Your Trip to Slovenia... 652 Fast Facts: Slovenia............... 655 3 Ljubljana........................ 657 Fast Facts: Ljubljana.............. 658 4 The Julian Alps (Julijske Alpe)... 672 Vršič Pass: The Drive of Your Life... 677 5 The Karst & Slovenia s Tiny Sliver of Coast......................... 682 6 Exploring Eastern Slovenia...... 688 Slovenia s Undiscovered Southeast....................... 690 INDEX 692 General Index........................ 692 Accommodations Index.............. 715 Restaurant Index..................... 718
LIST OF MAPS Eastern Europe................... 15 Bulgaria......................... 46 Sofia Lodging, Dining & Attractions.................... 65 Walking Tour: Cathedrals to Markets..................... 73 Croatia......................... 119 Dubrovnik Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 137 Walking Tour: Dubrovnik s Stradun...................... 147 Zagreb Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 191 The Czech Republic.............. 205 Prague Lodging & Dining........ 224 Prague Attractions.............. 238 Walking Tour: Old Town (Staré Město)................. 247 Hungary........................ 275 Budapest Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 296 Walking Tour: the Castle District....................... 325 Poland.......................... 379 Warsaw Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 394 Kraków Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 423 Romania........................ 473 Bucharest Dining & Lodging..... 495 Bucharest Attractions........... 505 Western Russia.................. 567 Moscow Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 580 Walking Tour: Historic Moscow... 589 St. Petersburg Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 596 Walking Tour: St. Petersburg Highlights.................... 603 Slovakia........................ 609 Bratislava Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 621 Slovenia........................ 649 Ljubljana Lodging, Dining & Attractions................... 661